The present invention relates to moisture separators, and more particularly, to the optimization of the flow distribution of wet steam into the separator components of a moisture separator reheater.
Moisture separator reheaters (MSR) are commonly used in industrial processes, particularly in nuclear power plants. Typically, the MSR is a horizontally oriented, elongated shell containing an entrance plenum, a wet steam distribution section, a moisture separating section, a reheating section and an exit plenum.
Particularly in MSRs that were installed in early nuclear power plants, the distribution of wet steam into the separator section has exhibited undesirable variations in the flow rate into the separators. Many of these older MSR's use demister pads in the moisture separating section, and the inability to produce uniform flow results in locally excessive flow velocity into the pads, causing damage such as pad blowout, moisture carry-through, and unbalanced steam flow through the reheater section.